Pianoforte-action



UNITED STATES PAFENT OFCE.

FREDK. FRIGKINGER, OF SCHODACK, Nlfs' YORK.

PANOFORTE-CTON.

Specification ot Letters Patent No. 32,883, dated July 23, 1861.

To all whom it may cofncefm:

Be it known that l, l `nnnnnrcn FnioiiiN- our, of Schodack, in the county ot Rensselaer and State ot New York, have invented certain new and usetul improvements in lianotorte-ctions; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot the same, reterence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part or' this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view ot a pianoforte action with my improvements, representing it at rest. Fig. 2 is a similar view representing in black outline the key depressed, the hammer in the act of striking the string, and the jack as about to escape, and representing in red outline the jack escaped, and the hammer as having fallen to a condition of readiness for repeating. F ig. 3 is a side view ot the jack and jack-bottom, representing the latter partly in section.

Similar letters ot reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists firstly in a novel contrivance for arresting the hammer near the string after the blow to enable a quick repetition to be edected.

it also consists in a spring applied in connection with the hammer tor the purpose of relieving the jack and key ot such portion ot its weight as may be desirable. and it further consists in an improved mode ot' applying the ack-spring.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

is the hammer, which, with its butt u, is constructed and arranged as in the action mown in this country as the French action, with the addition of a notched block b, secured to the shank c, near the butt, the said block extending some distance below the shank and its notch e, facing, but situated a short distance below the notch in the butt. The notch e, is faced or lined with leather or other soft material.

B is the key; C, the jack-bottom, and D, the jack; the latter being constructed like the jack of the so-called French action with the. addition ot a small rounded protuberance d, on the back near the tip and a small protuberance f, on the t'ront part ot the bottom ot its tenon g; the protuberance (Z, being -for the purpose ot entering the notch e, and the protuberance f, being for the attachment otl the jack-spring it. The jackspring is of spiral construction and arranged within the mortise 2', ot the jack bottom; and its front end is attached to the protuberance f, and its rear end to the jack bottom.

E is the spring applied to the hammer, to relieve the jack and key of a portion otl its weight. This spring consists of a piece ot' steel wire coiled at j, and secured at the end near the said coil, to the hammer tlanch F, and having a hook at the opposite end which is attached by a cord 7J, or its equivalent to the hammer-butt just above the notch in the latter.

H is the back-check. This however may be dispensed with, for the reason that will be presently explained. Z, is the string.

I, is the regulating screw applied in the manner common to the so called French action.

The operation of the action is as follows: Then the front end of the key is depressed from the position of rest represented in Fig. l, the jack acts upon the hammer-butt in the usual manner, throwing the hammer up against the string as shown in black outline in Fig. 2, and the heel m, ot the jack coming in contact with the regulating screw, causes the jack to escape from the notch in the hammer-butt, and allows the hammer to drop from the string, but as the tip ot the jack escapes from the hammer-butt, its protuberance d, enters the notch e, in the block Z), and so arrests the hammer near the string, as shown by the red outline in Fig. 2, the upper side of the notch e, then resting upon the protuberance I), and permitting the rapid repetition orn the blow to be eected after a slighter rise ot the front end ot the key than is sutlicient to permit the tip ot the jack to enter the notch of the hammer-butt, as the hammer iay then be made to strike the string by the action of the protuberance CZ, against the upper side ot the notch c, the lower side ot which performs the duty of the back check by coming in contact with the bottom otl the protubcrance (Z, in case of any tendency of the hammer to upward before the front end of the key is allowed to rise, and then depressed again. The hammer is always in condition to repeat whatever may be the position of the key. The spring E, by being bent more or less upward or downward can be made to take just so much of the weight of the hammer as is desired and so relieve the jack and key in a desirable degree to make the action play easily. The spring 7L, by being arranged as described, and connected directly With the protuberance f, on the tenon of the jack possesses all the advantages to be derived from a direct pull of the spring While it is well protected and has a more durable connection than when connected by a string passing around the bottom of the tenen.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the protuberance (Z, on the jack, and the notched block b, at-

tached to the hammer-shank, substantially as 15 and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The vspring E, applied in connection With the hammer-butt, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The connection of the jack-spring 7L, with a protuberance f, on the bottoni of the tenon of the jack, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

F. FRICKINGER.

lVitnesses M. M. LIVINGSTON, C. WV. COWTAN. f 

